A woman has been charged with the attempted capital murder of her child after she allegedly drove her car into Offats Bayou near Galveston and then held her 6-month-old baby under the water while rescuers tried to reach the pair.

Latonya Kirven, 32, from Galveston also ran over another man leaving him in critical condition at the city's University of Texas Medical Branch.

Officers said Kirven was first spotted crashing her silver Pontiac into two cars on 52nd street at around 5 p.m. Monday.

According to Galveston police, witnesses saw a man come out of a house and get into an argument with her before Kirven drove her car over him, seriously injuring him.

Police said they received a second call just 15 minutes later reporting that Kirven had driven her car with her child inside into the bayou at Washington Park.

Tyler Arcizo, 19, was fishing in the park with a group of friends and rushed in to save the child.

"Once the car was tipping, you see the car seat for the baby tip over. My friend was like there is a baby, there is a baby," Arcizo told KHOU.

Galveston police said that when officers arrived they found bystanders had already managed to reach the child and bring him to safety, but Kirven was still swimming around naked in the water.

Sgt. Joshua Schirard said that after reviewing video evidence from the scene, the 32-year-old has been charged with attempted capital murder.

Officers said video footage recorded by witnesses show she tried to drown the baby even as rescuers tried to reach them.

Kirven also faces two other charges of driving while intoxicated and assault with a deadly weapon.

The 72-year-old man she is accused of running over is the father of another of her children, police said.

"Those drugs have got her mind. If she was herself, she wouldn't have done it. Those drugs have her flipping out like that," said Jamie Williams. "My grandfather's arm is broken and his neck is broken."